1 The Ghost in the Basement

by SUE FINEMAN

  He shrugged. “They probably won’t come anyway.”

  “You’ll never know if you don’t ask.”

  After Hannah and Billy went out to the living room to figure out how to decorate for the party, Donovan said, “Did she just manipulate us into having a Halloween party?”

  “Yep.” Pop smiled. “She’s good.”

  “Too good,” Donovan muttered.

  “The last time Billy had a party was when he turned six. He had three friends over, and your mother made him a chocolate birthday cake.”

  Donovan leaned back. “I remember. Mom invited Maggie and Eleanor, but they didn’t come. Eleanor said Maggie was too sick, but she wasn’t too sick to go out shopping that day.”

  “I can’t see Hannah ever forgetting a kid’s birthday or being too busy to come to his party.” Pop stood and gathered the dirty plates. “If you let this woman slip through your fingers, you’re a damn fool.”

  “What about—”

  “To hell with the bills, son. There are more important things in this life than money. You’ve paid your share and then some.”

  They’d had this discussion before. Donovan couldn’t come up with the deposit the hospital financial office needed to approve that last procedure, so Eleanor made the deposit and agreed to pay half the cost. Donovan signed over the equity in his house, and he was the one the hospital billed. After Maggie died, Eleanor accused Donovan of killing her daughter and stuck him with the entire bill. The only thing she paid for, aside from that deposit, was Maggie’s funeral.

  Eleanor had always insisted Maggie was too delicate to have a baby, and if Donovan hadn’t insisted on having children, she would have been able to fight off the cancer that eventually killed her. But Maggie had been too vain to believe she was any less than perfect. When she found the lump, she refused to go to the doctor until it had grown too big to remove without leaving a scar. By the time she let the doctor cut into her breast, the cancer had spread and it was too late to save either one of them. Maggie lost both breasts, her hair, and then her life.

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  Billy worked his little behind off, raking leaves, sweeping the porch and steps, and helping get ready for the party. By late afternoon on party day, he’d called all his classmates and helped Hannah decorate with pumpkins, scarecrows, and cardboard skeletons. Hannah propped a blow-up doll, wrapped like a mummy, against the living room fireplace. Billy found an old doll in the basement and fixed it up with fake blood and bandages. And they put fake spider webs everywhere.

  In the basement, they decided to keep the lights on by the kitchen stairs and put candles on the dirt where the body was found. The kids wouldn’t be allowed to go into that part of the basement, so there was no danger of costumes catching on fire.

  Hannah supervised while Donovan sprayed the outline of the body on top of the dirt and roped off the area with his yellow crime scene tape. “Andrew,” she called. “We won’t let the kids get close. I hope this is all right with you and Charity. We want to entertain the kids, not scare them.”

  Donovan chuckled and she smacked his arm. “It’s not funny. Billy wants to have fun, not have his friends running out of the house in a panic.”

  Freshly shaven, with the creases pressed into his uniform, Donovan was breathtaking, a gorgeous man. “I always loved a man in a uniform,” Hannah told him.

  He grinned. “Oh, yeah? Maybe I should wear it more often.” He leaned down and whispered, “If you’re a good girl, I’ll let you take it off after the party.”

  “Don’t tempt me,” she whispered back.

  She wore one of Grandma’s old dresses with the bosom stuffed full of socks, extra rouge on her cheeks, a gray wig, glasses without the lenses, and baggy stockings rolled below her knees. Grandma’s old shoes and Grandpa’s hickory cane completed her outfit.

  Billy dressed up in Grandpa’s old clothes, with the pant legs and sleeves rolled up. Hannah put charcoal smudges on his face and he had a stick with a bag tied on the end to use as a prop. He looked adorable in Grandpa’s old straw hat with the hole in the top.

  “What’s Pop dressing up as?” he asked.

  “A grumpy old man,” said Donovan, bringing giggles from Billy.

  Everyone in Billy’s class came to the party, including the two silly girls Billy didn’t want to invite. Donovan had invited their teacher, too, but he didn’t tell Billy. She came in a Dolly Parton costume complete with high heels, bushy blonde wig, and huge breasts. The kids didn’t know who she was until the party was nearly over.

  Donovan stood guard while Billy brought his classmates and friends, three or four at a time, down to the basement. Donovan felt the cold breeze kick up with each group of kids, and the candle flames flickered, but didn’t go out. At least one of the spirits was there, but they didn’t do anything to scare the kids.

  When all the kids had seen the basement, Billy took them upstairs and showed them the remains of the hidden stairs and the room with the blood stains. And his room, of course. Hannah stood guard, making sure they stayed off the stairs.

  After the tours, they played games in the living room, and then the kids sat on the floor and Donovan told them what the police knew about the man buried in the basement.

  “The man was killed so long ago we may never know who killed him or why. We know the killer was strong, because he lifted a heavy timber and hit the victim on the head hard enough to kill him. This happened almost ninety years ago. In a case this old, we’re not looking for someone to arrest, because the killer is either dead or well over a hundred years old by now. We’re just looking for answers.”

  Hannah talked about the history of the house, how long ago it was built and what things were like back in those days. She showed them some very old pictures she’d found in the library, and the kids, especially the girls, seemed fascinated by the old clothes she’d found in the attic.

  Several times that evening, Hannah felt the presence of the spirits in the room, but they behaved themselves. Scaring kids with ghost stories was one thing. Having real ghosts scare them was another. In any case, seeing the place Andrew had died and his grave was quite enough for kids this age. She didn’t want to give them nightmares.

  Before the evening was over, they gave out prizes for the spookiest costume, the prettiest, and the weirdest, and Donovan took a bunch of pictures.

  As parents arrived to pick up their kids, Billy handed out bags of candy, popcorn balls, and apples. After the last kid left, he gave Hannah a big hug. “It was the best party ever. Thanks, Hannah.”

  “You’re welcome, Billy. I had fun, too.” The best part was watching the joy on her favorite kid’s face.

  After Pop scrubbed the charcoal and makeup off Billy’s face, Donovan sent him upstairs to brush his teeth and get ready for bed. “School tomorrow.” It would take his son at least an hour to calm down enough to get to sleep, but it was worth it. Hannah’s party was a rousing success, a memory Billy would savor in the months and years to come. Instead of being an outcast because he was a cop’s kid, he’d be the most popular kid in school.

  Donovan gazed into Hannah’s eyes. “I’ll never forget what you did for my son tonight, Hannah. He won’t either.” He looked down and laughed. “You’re drooping.” The socks had slipped and her fake boobs hung down to her waist.

  “Grandma said this condition was called Cooper’s Droop. I wonder if I’ll look this way when I’m eighty.”

  Looking at her, dressed and made up as an old woman, Donovan wanted nothing more than to grow old with her, to go to sleep with her every night and wake up with her every morning. And love her every minute of every day from now until the day he died.

  “Donovan?” Her warm hand caressed his cheek. “Are you all right? You look a little funny.”

  “Go wash that goop off your face so I can kiss you.” He intended to do more than kiss her tonight, and from the look in her eyes, she was more than ready to take the next step in their relationship. He could hardly wait to peel that c
ostume off her sexy body and make love to her.

  While Donovan locked up and turned out the lights downstairs, Hannah kicked off her shoes, removed the gray wig, and washed off her makeup. She stood in Billy’s bedroom door, watching him sleep. His costume was in a heap on the bedroom floor, and his bag of candy sat on his dresser. All that was missing was a big, sloppy dog on the foot of his bed.

  Donovan put his hand on her shoulder. “He’s had a big day.”

  She twisted around to see Donovan still wearing his uniform. “Are you going to wear that all night?”

  “Until you take it off me.”

  They moved as one toward her bedroom. Hannah pushed the door closed before removing his hat and then his gun. “You are so handsome in your uniform, you could model for a recruiting poster, whereas I… ” She lifted the fake boobs off her waist. “I could be the before picture for a plastic surgeon.”

  With a little laugh, he opened a button on her dress and slid his hand inside. “You are the sexiest old lady I’ve ever met.” He kissed her gently. “And the most appealing.” After another tender kiss, he murmured, “You’re the woman I dream about every night, the one I wake thinking about in the morning, the one I want so much it’s all I can do to keep my hands off.”

  Without taking her eyes off his, Hannah loosened his belt and unsnapped his pants, pulled his shirt loose, and unbuttoned it. Her lips opened beneath his and a little kitten sound slipped out as she returned his kiss with passion. Her gentle hands slid inside his shirt and around to his back and up to his shoulders, pulling him closer, and as the kiss finally ended, she clung to him, her breath as ragged as his.

  He’d missed a woman’s touch and the anticipation of a night of passion. Sometimes at night, the ache of loneliness and despair made it impossible to sleep. He should have cut Maggie loose after Billy was born and found himself another woman. He’d been a fool to stay with her for so long when there were women like Hannah around. If not for Billy, he would have ended it long before Maggie got sick.

  The room swirled and spun as Hannah’s gray eyes pulled him deeper and deeper into their depths. He loosened her dress and it dropped to the floor around her stocking-clad feet. She wasn’t wearing a bra under the baggy dress, only a silky slip. The socks she’d tucked in the slip to pad her breasts slid out and plopped to the floor. “You don’t need any padding,” he murmured, cupping her breasts in his hands.

  He pushed one strap off her shoulder and kissed her there, and then the other, until the slip slithered over her nearly naked body and fell in a puddle on top of the dress and socks. Kneeling on the floor, Donovan rolled her stockings down her calves and off her feet. She stood before him wearing only her panties as he kissed his way from her belly button up to her breasts, giving each a brief tug into his mouth on the way back to her lips. Where Maggie’s body had been petite and delicate, Hannah’s was full and healthy, a body meant for loving.

  Donovan’s clothes came off slowly, as Hannah explored his body with her hands and feasted her eyes on each part she exposed. He wasn’t a body builder like some of the men he worked with, but he was solid and strong, and those blue eyes had darkened with longing. She knew he hadn’t been with any women except his wife in a long time, which made this night even more special. It was as if he’d been waiting for her.

  The patch of dark blond hair on his chest tapered down and disappeared under the open snap of his slacks. Hannah ran her hands under the waistband, easing his pants down an inch and then another. He was like the best birthday gift imaginable, one she’d been waiting for so long she wanted to extend the pleasure of opening it.

  A groan followed by, “Honey, you’re killing me,” made her smile, but she took her time, easing his slacks and underwear down another inch or so. He lifted her against him, moaning. “I can’t wait much longer, Hannah. I need you, honey.”

  Voices outside caught Hannah’s attention. Car doors slammed and spike heels clicked on the sidewalk toward the front door. “I am so damn tired,” the woman said.

  “Yeah, me, too,” said the man with her.

  Hannah froze. “Don’t answer the door.”

  Donovan fastened his pants. “Who is it?”

  A fist pounded on the door below them and a woman yelled, “Hannah, I know you’re in there. Open the door.”

  “I’ll kill her.” Hannah pulled on a robe and opened the window. “What do you want?” she yelled.

  Monique stepped out on the sidewalk and looked up. “There you are, darling. Be a good girl and open the door.”

  Donovan asked again, “Hannah, who is it?”

  “My mother and my ex-husband. Monique and Trevor.” She reached for Donovan’s gun. “Is this thing loaded?”

  Before Hannah could reach the gun, Donovan grabbed her hand. He took her shoulders, and as people pounded on the door and yelled downstairs, he asked, “Do they expect to stay here?”

  “I assume so. Monique wouldn’t be here unless she was between men, and Trevor doesn’t like to work, so he’s probably too broke to pay for a motel room.”

  “Hannah, where are they going to sleep?” When she didn’t answer, he said, “Go downstairs and let them in while I carry the mattress from Sonny’s room up to the attic.”

  She laughed softly and kissed him. “I knew there were reasons for having you here.”

  “And I’m charming. Don’t forget charming.”

  She gave him a big hug.

  “Go on. I’ll be down in a couple minutes.”

  Hannah walked downstairs and opened the front door.

  Monique glared at her. “Well, it’s about time. What on earth took you so long?”

  “I wasn’t expecting guests, Monique.” Especially now, when she and Donovan were about to make love. Their timing couldn’t be worse.

  Trevor leaned in to give her a kiss and she shoved him away so fast he nearly tripped. “What in the hell are you doing here?”

  “I realize now the divorce was a mistake, and I want to try again.”

  “Try what? Try working? Try not spending my money?”

  “I miss you, Hannah.”

  “I can’t say the same about you, Trevor.” He was broke and desperate or he wouldn’t have come this far. His sister must have thrown him out. Why couldn’t he learn to support himself for a change?

  “I gave him a lift,” said Monique. “Poor Trevor has had some bad luck and I knew you’d want to help.”

  “No, actually, I don’t want to help. What happened to Whatshisname, husband number sixteen or whatever?”

  Monique dropped onto the sofa in the living room. “It’s over, and what with the pre-nup, I left with only the clothes on my back and a few baubles.”

  Hannah stood in the living room, arms crossed, staring at the two biggest leeches she’d ever known. “So you came here to let me support you?”

  “You’re my daughter, darling. Where else would I go?”

  “And you’re my wife,” said Trevor.

  “Ex-wife. Ex, as in it’s over. Ex, as in I don’t have to support you any more.”

  Donovan came downstairs, barefoot and bare-chested, his hair mussed as though he’d been sleeping. Or having sex. He looked so yummy, Hannah knew Monique would be all over him in seconds. “Do we have company, Hannah?” he asked.

  “Donovan Kane, this is my mother, Monique Maxwell, and my ex-husband, Trevor Ames. They’re on their way somewhere and stopped by to say hello.”

  Monique’s eyes widened as she appraised Donovan’s body and then his handsome face. “Oh, my God. You’re not—”

  “Kevin Kane’s son,” Donovan finished for her. “Where are you staying tonight?”

  “Here,” said Trevor. “I’m taking Hannah back.”

  Hannah caught Donovan’s eye. “You really should have let me use that—”

  Donovan cleared his throat, cutting her off. Monique sidled up to him and stroked his chest. “Well, look at you. This should be an interesting stay.”

  Plucking her
hand off him with two fingers, Donovan said, “Yes, it would be, if there was a place for you to sleep.”

  “Oh, please.” Monique waved her hand. “This is the biggest house in this part of town. Six bedrooms, if I remember correctly.”

  Donovan’s smile held no warmth. “One room has a hole in the floor, one is being used as a work room, and the other four are occupied.”

  Monique turned on a smile and trailed her finger down Donovan’s arm. “Then we’ll have to share, won’t we, darling.”

  “Goodbye Monique, Trevor. Please don’t come again without an invitation.” Hannah walked to the front door and opened it. There were seven pieces of luggage sitting on the front porch, and she knew they intended to stay not just overnight, but until something – or someone – better came along.

  With a surge of anger, she turned to face them. “Who made me your keeper?”

  “But darling,” Monique said in that placating tone of voice Hannah hated. “It’s just for a few days.”

  Pop came out, rubbing his eyes. “What’s going on?”

  Monique’s mouth dropped open. “Kevin is living here?”

  Trevor collapsed onto the sofa. “Could we please have something to drink? Lemon tea or something? I’ve never known you to be such a rude hostess, Hannah.”

  Donovan saw that swirling funnel cloud around Hannah again and knew she was about to explode, not that he could blame her. These people had come here expecting her to take care of them. He pulled on the shirt Pop handed him and took Hannah’s arm, pulling her into the kitchen.

  “They’re sleeping together and he wants me back? Does he think I’m a complete idiot?” She turned on the kettle. “Yes, of course he does. I was stupid enough to marry the deadbeat in the first place, so naturally he thinks I’m stupid enough to take him back.”

  “You don’t know they’re sleeping together,” said Donovan.

  “You want proof?”

  “Come on, Hannah. How are you going to prove it?”

  “Watch me.” She turned away and made the tea with lukewarm water and carried the cup to the living room. Handing it to Trevor, she asked, “So, Monique, did you ever get that little herpes problem under control?”